35 million consumers could be over paying for financial and utility products

17th February 2017 Consumer Collections |

A five year study from Experian has revealed new insight into the financial attitudes and behaviours of people across Britain. The Financial Strategy Segments (FSS) tool identifies four key financial trends seen in the UK today, looking at how we spend, save and borrow, both now and in the future. Tax on Inertia Experian research…

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Express Gifts to pay £12.5m redress for insurance practices

17th February 2017 Consumer Collections |

Express Gifts has entered into an agreement with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to provide £12.5 million redress to approximately 330,000 customers who were sold insurance that offered little or no value. The insurance products sold by Express Gifts covered against accidental damage and theft for all products purchased from their Ace or Studio brands.…

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Low-income households continue to spend a higher proportion of expenditure

16th February 2017 Consumer Collections |

Latest information from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has provided an insight into household expenditure over the past 12 months. The main findings from the study were: · Average weekly household spending remained level at £528.90 in the financial year ending 2016, coinciding with a slowdown in consumer confidence · Low-income households continued to…

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33% believe Partners lie about spending habits

16th February 2017 Consumer Collections |

A third of Brits believe their partner is lying to them about how much money they spend. According to a survey conducted by Paymentsense on 2000 people in a relationship in the UK, people aren’t always honest to their partners about their spending habits. 40% of women admit to lying to their partner about what they…

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Four million more people living on inadequate incomes

16th February 2017 Consumer Collections |

Four million more people are living below an adequate standard of living and are just about managing at best, according to new research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF). The report sheds light on how different kinds of household are faring, against the Minimum Income Standard (MIS). MIS is a benchmark of income adequacy, as defined…

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Credit broker fined by ICO

15th February 2017 Consumer Collections |

Credit broker Digitonomy Ltd has been fined £120,000 by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for being responsible for millions of marketing texts sent without proper consent. Between April 2015 and February 2016 there were 1,464 complaints about the spam messages which encouraged people to apply for loans and directed them to company websites.  An ICO investigation revealed…

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Tactics of doorstep lenders causing serious hardship

15th February 2017 Consumer Collections |

Some doorstep lenders are taking advantage of their position and putting people at risk of serious debt problems, Citizens Advice warns. A new report published by the charity today has identified a number of concerning practices by some doorstep lenders. The evidence, submitted to the Financial Conduct Authority today as part of its review into…

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First-time buyer lending healthy, says CML Report

14th February 2017 Consumer Collections |

New data released from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has revealed house purchase activity increased month-on-month and year-on-year but remortgage and buy-to-let levels decreased. Paul Smee, director general of the CML said “2016 could have been a potentially destabilising year of regulatory and political change, but the mortgage market has been resilient and adaptable.…

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West Brom Building Society and Jaywing announce IFRS 9 partnership

14th February 2017 Consumer Collections |

Jaywing has announced a new partnership with West Bromwich Building Society to develop IFRS 9 and stress testing models as part of an integrated modelling programme that will underpin all regulatory modelling requirements.. One of the biggest challenges faced by lenders today is implementing a solution to IFRS 9 requirements that is proportionate to the…

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FCA issues warning over unauthorised loan provider

14th February 2017 Consumer Collections |

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has issued a warning over an unauthorised personal loans provider called Jazz Loans. The FCA warning statement said “We believe this firm has been providing financial services or products in the UK without our authorisation. Find out why to be especially wary of dealing with this unauthorised firm and how to…

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Consumers expect immediate credit decisions

13th February 2017 Consumer Collections |

Online research from Equifax, has revealed that 50% of consumers don’t want to spend more than 20 minutes completing the process.  The survey, conducted by YouGov, also found that after submitting an application for a financial product online, many consumers expect an immediate decision on whether they have been approved for short term loans (34%),…

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20% of customers select service providers based on perks offered

13th February 2017 Consumer Collections |

A fifth of UK consumers choose everyday service providers – such as mobile phone, utilities and broadband companies – solely based on the perks and benefits they offer, according to new research from Echo Managed Services. The research, based on a nationally-representative sample of 1,000 UK adults, revealed that a quarter of all consumers are significantly…

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UK Personal debt report: Home ownership decreases

13th February 2017 Consumer Collections |

Creditfix’s latest UK Personal Debt Index (PDI) has been released and has found that throughout Quarter 4 2016, the percentage of people who own their own home fell to 8.5% of respondents, compared to the previous quarter when it stood at 10.5%.   The quarterly report is put together following a survey of over 31,000 individuals, comparing…

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